Home Renovations, Remodeling, and Home Improvements - Tom Gocze

Inspectors find some electrical nightmares

Some time ago in my checkered past, I was doing home inspections. Since I think I know a little bit about houses and have spent a lot of time looking at home building problems (of my own and others), … more

By Tom Gocze
Special to the NEWS | 7/4/09 | 86 views

Sometimes you have to seal entrances to keep undesirable neighbors outside

Most of us pay for the place we live. And almost all of us have freeloaders who don’t pay. I do not mean children who have landed home after college since you can usually get rid of them easily. … more

By Tom Gocze
Special to the NEWS | 6/27/09 | 5479 views

With warranties, the devil is in the details

As I age, I find myself sputtering about the cost of everything. When you are contemplating your next big-ticket home improvement item, the warranty should factor prominently in your … more

By Tom Gocze
Special to the NEWS | 6/20/09 | 391 views

Energy efficiency a moving target

There is an act in the Legislature to help ensure that Maine’s energy future is not an apocalypse. It has the lofty goal of weatherizing 100 percent of all Maine residences by 2030. This has got … more

By Tom Gocze
Special to the NEWS | 6/13/09 | 488 views

Warming up your pool for June in Maine

Hey, it’s a pool party — everybody in the pool! Uh-oh. The pool is only 65 degrees Fahrenheit. It is time to use your swimming pool, if you are fortunate to own one. The problem is that in … more

By Tom Gocze
Special to the NEWS | 6/6/09 | 1099 views

Composite lumber best pick for decks

We have a lot of choices when it comes to deck surface materials. For years, we have used pressure-treated Southern Yellow Pine as an inexpensive deck material. It works OK. It is a fast-growing wood … more

By Tom Gocze
Special to the NEWS | 5/23/09 | 991 views

All hands on deck, be it front or back

Summertime is here by the time Memorial Day hits. Well, maybe in South Carolina, but we are getting close. And we are ready to get out on the deck and enjoy the weather. What’s that? You … more

By Tom Gocze
Special to the NEWS | 5/16/09 | 912 views

Home heating likely to see big changes

This week, let’s look ahead to the future of home heating. If one is to believe the research that indicates that climate change is evident and inevitable without some true changes in lifestyle, I … more

By Tom Gocze
Special to the NEWS | 5/9/09 | 1306 views

Encouraging next-generation engineers, builders

When I was a small boy growing up, there was always someone in the neighborhood building something or doing something under the hood of a car. more

By Tom Gocze
Special to the NEWS | 5/2/09 | 1015 views

Cheap living a good step toward being 'green'

I write this with some trepidation: I am sick of “green.” I probably should have ended with this statement instead of starting with it. But I am not always tactful. more

By Tom Gocze
Special to the NEWS | 4/25/09 | 1551 views